Tell Your Own Story

I've seen a lot of big changes in the Bay Area during my life. Where Silicon Valley now sits once were tens of thousands of acres of farms and orchards. The highway to Los Angeles wasn't I5, it was 99, or state highway 33 if you wanted the long way. US 50 ran through Livermore; I remember my Mom packing the 4 kids into the old station wagon after school the day 580 opened....and it doesn't seem so long ago from where I sit.

But I'm a little worried about where we've gotten ourselves. Now, we've leaned toward a culture where the lives of celebrities - and that comes with a ton of definitions - dictate what we talk about, what we wear, how self absorbed and celeb - worship prone we've become. Have we really lost touch with who we are? Are we, as a culture, so smitten with the lives of others that we've forgotten to live our own? (answer "yes" if you find you must make time to watch your "reality" shows instead of going to the gym, riding your bike or learning a new skill, art or craft).

My answer really isn't anything new. You'd hear it a lot once you know me. It's so simple - just write your own story. Let your path be determined by your passions, your dreams, by where you want to go. Why might you think your life is so much less interesting than, say. one of the Kardashian girls? They could learn a lot by emulating those who endeavor to learn, to play, to befriend others.

I enjoy that I might see something new each time I'm out on a trail - in fact, I know I will. My story is not close to finished, and I'm looking forward to many more chapters, none of them summer reruns or DVR recordings from a week ago. No, each one is new and fresh; one may be more interesting, exciting , frightening or somber than another...but it's my story, and that's what makes it special.

You, too, have a story to tell. Not every page will be riveting. Some may be sad. But the story must still be told. And you, not some phony "celebrity" will be repsonsible for the content.

It's easy. Plan a hike. Join a photography class or a soccer team. Try something new. add pages to your book with each new experience. It's not always easy, but the rewards are incredibly fulfilling. Let the airheads on TV do their vapid, mind numbing thing. Their stories are simply comic books. Make yours an epic. Go on - live a little!